Carton and tray therefor



Fb. 9, 1943. R s, SANFORD 2,310,465

CARTON AND TRAY THEREFOR Filed Aug. 18. 19:59

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 CARTON AND TRAY THEREFOR Roy S. Sanford, Oakville,Conn., assignor to The Incorporated, Oakville, Conn., a corporation ofConnecticut Application August 18, 1939, Serial No. 290,720

(Cl. 20G-42) Autoyre Company,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a carton and tray therefor and has specialreference to a tray formed of sheet metal or other relatively stilisheet material which is adapted to contain therein fragile or crushablemerchandise. cation is a continuation in part of the copendingapplication Serial No. 220,627 entitled Carton and tray therefor, ledJuly 22, 1938, by the present applicant.

More particularly, this invention relates to a carton comprising a trayformed of a sheet material having a plurality of spaced apertures ordepressions which are adapted to hold small capsules in a spaced apartrelation, the capsules comprising a coating of a substantially softbiologically assimilable organic substance for holding food ormedicines. The sheet material employed for the preparation of a tray inaccordance with this invention is constructed or treated in such' amanner as to present a surface which is substantially non-toxic andsubstantially inert to the article or capsule which is positioned withinthe tray.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a tray formed ofstiff sheet material having a plurality of spaced depressions or aper-'tures bounded by ledges forming seats for holding articles such ascapsules in spaced apart positions with a casing preferably embracingthe tray. *The ledges of the tray are preferably formed by convergingthe material bounding the depressions apertures inwardly in a directiontoward each' other when Viewed in cross section so as to have a softline contact with the articles held in spaced apart positions by theapertures. The outer surface of the tray and particularly that portionat the point of contact with the articles is of such a nature that it issubstantially inert to the action of the ingredients contained withinthe article supported Within the aperture. The surface is alsosubstantially non-toxic and the article cannot become contaminated witha toxic material absorbed from the tray.

In the prior art of which the applicant is aware, apertures are providedfor holding articles in spaced apart positions, but in many instancessuch apertures have sharp annular edges Which, While they may besatisfactory for use in holding eiiiciently certain objects such as eggshaving hard non-assimilable shells, still they are not satisfactory fromthe standpoint of holding capsules having soft, biologically assimilablecoatings and like articles. The shells of eggs are not affected bytemperature conditions, while cap- *c sules such as those prepared fromgelatin and This appli-Y 'out enameling or lacquering.

similar materials are definitely affected. There are, therefore, manyarticles of merchandise which, while they may be housed effectivelyunder ordinary conditions to prevent them from being crushed in theusual type of container, Would not be so effectively housed under allconditions to which they may be subjected. The ordinary gelatin capsuleor the like, for example, if kept in a cool place, may be satisfactorilystored in somewhat the usual container. However, if the capsule is eventemporarily stored or transported under higher temperature conditions,the sharp edges may break through the shell of the capsule or at leastdeform the same and cause it to' be mutilated or destroyed. Furthermore,theingredients of the capsule may react directly with the material ofthe surface of the tray and the capsule may stick and become firmlyadhered thereto. The capsules Vthen become diiicult to remove and atleast an undesirable appearance results when a portion of th'e capsulehas reacted With the surface of the tray.

The present invention, therefore, has for one of its objects theprovision of a construction wherein the capsule under even unusualtemperature conditions may be effectively stored or handled, the softseat provided by the arcuate surfaces substantially preventingdistortion or disfiguration of the article held. The surfaces of thetray are of such a nature that they Will not react with the ingredientsof the capsular material and the same does not have a tendency to becomestrongly adhered to the surface, which makes for subsequent diicultremoval of the capsule from the tray. A surface is also provided whichis substantially non-toxic and there is no danger of harmful ingredientsbecoming absorbed into the capsular material While it is in contact withthe surface of the tray.

p Sheet metal affords'an opportunity for sanitation, since the trays maybe sterilized and even reused When desired. Further, certain sheetmaterials provide a surface which is substantially non-toxic and whichis inert to the capsular material. Trays formed of sheet metal, pressedcard board or other substantially rigid material may be enameled,lacquered, or otherwise coated or treated in order to provide thedesired surface. Aluminum trays, stainless steel trays, or variouselectroplatedmetal trays may be employed with- Coating a tray withenamel or lacquer, electroplating al sheet metal tray, or puffing a castor sheet aluminum tray or` a stainless steel tray provides a highlypolished surface. Trays thus formed are Lnoni inert.; substantially non-toxic coating.

toxic and inert to ordinary capsular articles which may be packed in acarton contemplated by the present invention, and may be cleaned andsterilized, whereby the accumulation of microorganisms and foreignmatter thereon may be prevented.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a flap for coveringthe tray and for preventing axial displacement of the articlesifrom theledges bounding the apertures. The flap is preferably formed of arelatively stiff, although flexible member, detachably secured to thetray. The surface of the flap adjacentthe Vcapsules contained within thetray is preferably also non toxic and inert to the action of theingredients'off the capsules. Thus, the surface of the Hap-may contactthe capsules without danger ofv their becoming stuck thereto underadverse -temperature conditions. The tray and flap are embraced by acasing and the flap is held inposition over the traybythe casing.Inaccordancewith f onemodieation ofthis invention, theap may bedispensed with entirely and thecasingitself i which surrounds thetraymaybe provided with a non-toxic inertsurface lon `those portions voff the tray adjacent to thefcapsular'material.

*For a more complete-understanding ,of the characteristicfeatures ofthis invention, .reference-may .now be Yhad to the following descrip-.-tion when-taken Ytogetherwith theiaccompany-` ingdrawing,u in whichlatter:

rvFig. l-is ytop planV .ViewA oa-tray embodying the-,features of thisinvention;

2 is aY side elevational View ,of .the con- .:struction shownY-in-Fjigl, partially .in section, as,t aken` on the Vlines 2- 2 'thereof` and.showing the-'flapin section in position thereon.

yflig.' 3-is aside elevational-.view of a `modified -forrn-oftrayconstruction incorporating the` features of; this invention;

-LFigi 4'is a-view similar to1-Fig.. 3` ofa further modied form oftrayconstructionembodying g thefeatures of this invention;

Ajljigi 5 is` aiperspective view fof aportion` of a I ilapforuseonltrayconstructionsembodying the A features of this-invention, Aand -Fig: G isasectional View of a carton enclosing a plurality of superposed traysincorporating -thefeatures Aof this invention.

'Referring now to the drawing, the tray em-` Ybodying -the Afeatures,ofthis'invention -is preferably formed; of a; singlesheet of materialof. a very light gauge. to f ormtghe-trayjof a sheetsteel ofsubstantially g paper thickness orapproximately '7 to 8 thoui-,sandlihofaninch. In usingsheet st eel,git is der sirable; toplate the -tray withcadmium, nickel, or chromium, or to; enamel it in any desired VIt hasbeenfound-preferable manner, or to coat-itwitheone of several typesollaoquersinorder-to provide a surface with an Stainless; sti-,eignayybeV employed without treatment,

jsinceitgzloesnothave a tendency to corrode or reactr-with theingredients of the capsule in the presencei ofA small amounts ofmoisture :which may be condensed or absorbed from the atmosi-phere.Other metals may be employed, such as cast aluminum orpolished aluminumsheet. A lso, cardboard or stiff papermay be-used which 4linasfryeen-Coated with a suitable lacquer -or ,paint` in,order tdprovidaa surfacewhich is non-retive` tothecapsular material and is substan- `ti a11yn0nt@xic. The renewingy descriptionis particularlydirected toagsheetmetal tray, but d I itgis to be borne -inmind thatl other'types ofv 75staggered or straight as may be more convenient V`Vfor filling. In thedrawing, the rows of apertures are formed in straight lines bothlongitudinally and laterally of the main body portion. AThe Yaperturesare shown as being round with =annular ledges converging inwardly in adirection toward each other when viewed in cross capsules'may be ofglobular or elliptical coniiguration and it is desirable to have theaperturer conform therewith.

The'main body portion I I ofthe tray IIl is proy videdwith a peripheralflange I5 extending substantially. verticallythereof, the main bodyportion lying in a planev intermediate the edges of the ange. Theperipheral flange I5 is preferably formedintegrally `with the main bodyportion, and extends upwardly a distance at .least tothe plane of the-tops of thearticles and down- -wardly'therefrom a distance at least tothe plane of thebottomsrof the articles. The upper edge of. the flan-ge,Yformed by bending the material of the flange downwardlyupon itself, ispreferably-beaded; -as at I6, withY the lower edge of thel ange turnedinwardly to form a bead I`I. As .will-.hereinafter-be -more particularlyapparent, -the `-beaded` edges -I 6 and I I act as runners to facilitateremoval of the tray from the carton, to Yfacilitate stacking 'of thetrays in superposed relation and to reinforce the tray generally.

Ailapv I8,-preferably formed ofr cardboard or g other relatively stili',yet ilexible. material, is detachably secured to the tray for coveringthe tray and for preventing axial displacement of thegarticles from theIledges I3. 'I'he surface of the flap I8 nwhich comes into contact withthe capsules positioned within the tray is preferably coated. with a`lacquer or provided with a sheet I 8a,either of whichis inert totheingredients ofthe capsules. Such an inert film, sheet, or coating-may becellulose acetate, nitrocellulose, variousrsynthetic; resin lacquers,and the like. The main body portion II of the tray is provided ateachendf'thereof with a laterally extending slit I9 of, substantiallythe same length as the width of the flap and of substantially the same.widthas the thickness-of the material of the ap, -the .materialboundingthe slit being in- ;cllined to facilitate threading the flapinto the s it.

The` end of the flap I 8 is inserted into one of the slits I9. a4distance preferably to meet the bead II and is thereafter laid acrossthe tray in its longitudinal direction. A plurality of projections 2nextend upwardly from the main body portion II to hold the ilapin a`spaced relation therewith,y the projections preferably; being cut v anddeformed outwardly from thematerial of the main bodyportion. In thismanner of constructionthe Il ap 'willnot rest lofhits own weight on thetopfof thetrayor onthetopsof `the articles. andfthearticlesare-thusrelieved of unnecessary erally at spaced intervals over the surfacethereof so that sections only of the flap may be lifted vto uncovercertain only of the articles.

A casing may embrace the flap IB and the tray I or a plurality of flapsand trays as shown in Fig. 6, the casing preferably comprising asubstantially rectangular paper, card board, or metal box having openends. The open ends of the casing may be enclosed by flaps or the angesof the tray may be employed for such purpose. Also, the tray or the trayand flap may be encased in a sheet of cellulose acetate, nitrocelluloseor like material such, for example, as is generally known as Cellophane.

When the tray is initially filled with articles the cover flap I8 issecured in position, as shown in Fig. 2, whereafter the assembled trayand flap may be inserted into an open end of a casing. In moving thetray into and out of position within the casing, the beaded edges I6 andI1 of the flange I5 act as runners to facilitate the relative movementtherebetween. The flap I8 is held in position to prevent axialdisplacement of the articles from their seats. If desired, the flap I3may be omitted entirely and the tray may be inserted directly within thecasing 23. In such a case it is desirable that the interior portions ofthe casing coming into contact with the capsules positioned within thetray be coated with an inert, non-toxic substance.

It will thus be seen from the above description that a carton and trayhas been provided which is particularly useful for packaging capsulararticles such as vitamin capsules, codliver voil capsules, and the like,which, as a general rule, have a coating comprising essentially gelatinor similar material. The surfaces of the tray, flap or portions withwhich the capsule comes into contact in the package are substantiallyinert to the action of the ingredients of the capsule. The term inertwhen used herein and hereafter in the claims defines such contactingsurfaces as will not stick, adhere or chemically react with theingredients of the capsular coating material even in the presence ofsmall amounts of water which may be absorbed or condensed fromtheatmosphere.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. .3 of the drawing, a trayembodying the features 0f this invention is shown as comprising a mainbody portion 23 having a plurality of spaced apertures of which thematerial bounding the apertures form ledges 24 for holding articles inspaced-apart positions. The ledges may be formed in the manner shown inthe previously described embodiment and the apertures bounded therebymay be aligned in rows either staggered or straight as may be convenientor desirable. The apertures together with the ledges may be round oroval in keeping with the configuration of the article to be heldtherein.

The ends of the main body portion are providlpressure during thefunctioning of the flap to prevent axial displacement of the articlesfrom .the tray. Y

The ends of the tray adjacent the slits are ed` with flanges 25 and 26which preferably extend substantially vertically therefrom, the main`body portion lying in a plane above the lower edges thereof. The flange26 is preferably formed integrally with the main body portion 23 andextends downwardly at least-to the plane or below the plane of thebottoms of the articles extending through the apertures bounded by theledges 24 and upwardly therefrom forming preferably a beaded bottomedge.

The flange 25 is likewise preferably formed integrally with the mainbody portion 23 and extends downwardly a distance similar to the flange26 and upwardly therefrom a distance to the plane or above the plane ofthe tops of the articles held on the ledges 24. A flap 21 extends fromand is preferably integrally formed with the flange 25, the flap 21lying in a plane substantially parallel with the main body portion 23below the plane of the upper edge of the flange 25. The edges of theflange 25 at the juncture thereof with the main body. portion 24 andwith the flap 21 are preferably beaded. The free end of the flap 21 isprovided with a ange 28, the flange 28 being preferably formedintegrally with the ilap 21 and being co-extensive with the flange 26 ofthe main body portion 23. The edge of the flange extends above the planeof the nap 21 and the juncture thereof is beaded to correspond with thebeaded edge of the flange 26. The flanges 26 and 28 act in the samemanner as the flange 25 to space the flap from the main body portion.

The flap 21 is preferably provided with a plurality of aperturesregistering with the apertures bounded by the ledges 24, the sets ofregistering apertures being co-axial. The flap 21 as in the previouslydescribed embodiment acts to prevent displacement of the articles fromthe tray.

The tray is preferably fqrmed of a substantially rigid although flexiblematerial so that the flap 21 may be flexed in a direction away from themain body portion 23 for lling and for dispensing the capsules. Suitableintermediate spacers may be provided as in the previously describedembodiment for holding the intermediate portion of the flap in a spacedrelation from the tray and the integrally formed tray and flap 4may beencased by any suitable carton or wrapping. rf'he material of the trayand flap may reference to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 so as to benon-toxic and inert to ordinary capsular articles and may be cleaned andsterilized whereby the accumulation of micro-organisms and dirt thereonmay be prevented.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawing, the trayconstruction therein shown embodying the features of this inventioncomprises a main body portion 29 having a plurality of spaced aperturesor depressions formed therein, the material bounding the aperturesforming ledges Si! for holding articles in spaced-apart positions. Theapertures may be aligned in rows either staggered or straight, as may bemore convenient or desirable, and may be round, elliptical or any otherconguration in keeping with the configuration of the article to be heldtherein. The ledges preferably converge inwardly in a 'direction towardeach other when viewed in cross section to form seats for varying sizesof capsules.

The material from which the main body portion is formed may be of sheetmetal coated, plated or lacquered kwith any desired non-toxic materialsubstantially inert to the article or capvsule'which ispositioned'within theftray, or the tray vmay be formed-fof `a cardboard,-paper "or other substantially rigid material -treatedgcoated "or'otherwise provided with la Vsurface inert to the action of theingredients contained the 'article supported on the ledges. Each end ofthe main body portion is formed downwardly and thereafter outwardly toform portions 3| extending in a substantially parallel Vplane to themain body portion below the bottoms of the capsules which protrudethrough the apertures bounded by the ledges 3G. 'The ends yof theportions 3I are thereafter formed upwardly and back over the' portions"SI in a spaced relation therewith to form portions 32 likewiseextending in a substantially'parallel plane to the main body portion 29above the tops vof the articles fheld in the ledges 3B. The ends of theportions 32 are turned downwardly to form a substantially rectangularbox-like end construction to give rigidity to the tray.

Longitudinally extending projections 33 may be formed on the main bodyportion 29, the projections being preferably raised out of the materialforming the main body portion or fixed thereto in any desired manner togive rigidity to the tray and also to act as a spacer upon whicha flap34 may rest. The flap 34 may be of a substantially rigid yet flexiblematerial such as cardboard and is'preferably coated on one side thereofadjacent the capsules contained within the tray witha nlm or sheet ofmaterial which is non-toxic and inert to the action of the ingredientsof the capsules. The tray thus formed may be inserted in an open-endedcardboard carton or may be wrapped with a sheet of Cellophane.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. of the drawing, a portion of aflap is shown comprising a rectangular sheet of cardboard, paper,

or like material I8 having a coating I8a over one surface thereof. Anextension of reduced width is formed on the end of the rectangular boxportion I8 and preferably integrally therewith, the

extension being divided into portions 35 and 36 by means of a score mark3l, the extension as a whole being divided from the rectangular portionthereof by means Vof a score 38. Other suitable scores 39V across thesheet may be provided for use in raising portions of the flap at a timefor access `to the capsules. The portion 35 of the extension ts beneaththe horizontally extending ledge of the end of the tray and the portion3=3 holds the horizontally extending ledge 35 in that relativepositionsince .the length of o the portion 36 is substantially that of the angeI5 of Fig. 2 or the space between the portions 3| and 32 ofFig. 4. Theother end of the rectangularn portion I8 is merely provided with ascored end protruding directly downwardly;

through a slot in the tray, the tab 22 being cut from the material ofthe scored end.

The present construction adapts itself readily to the idea of providinga window 40 through which the articles of the tray may be viewed withoutthe necessity of opening the package. A

:corresponding window may be disposed in the carton surrounding the trayand flap if such is desirable to be employed. The window is, of

course, merely cut in the cardboard, paper or the like, forming the mainbody portion I8, while the sheet I8a preferably of an acetate materialcovers Vthe opening but is .transparent so that the arti- Acles may beviewed therebeneath. This ilapinvsures positive protection to the`soluble gelatin capsules. The laminations of thesheetsV l8r-and ISaprovide a moisture-proof and germ-proof container and reduces capsuleadherence to a negligible degree. No foreign matter,suchas flakes fromthe cartons orvthe chemicals in` the usual paper, can come into contactwith -the capsules and the seal thus provided overcomes sweating and atall .times safeguards thevaluable properties of the article held on thetray.

Each or any of the above described trays and aps may be stackedinasuperposed relation for packaging a plurality of trays in a singlecarton. A plurality of trays of the type shown in Figs.

1 and 2 are disposed in a superposed relation and contained in a singlecarton as disclosed in Fig. 6. The flap I8 extends across and rests onthe beaded edges I6 of the anges I5 and the beaded edges I'I rest on thetop of the adjacent 'thus supported ilaps. In other words, the botandscope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A small capsule retaining tray formed of a 'body portion ofa substantially rigid material having a plurality of spaced depressionstherein for holding said capsules in spaced-apart positions, spacedanges on opposed sides of said body portion extending above and belowthe tops and bottoms respectively of said capsules held in 4said tray, aap restingr on and between said "anges for preventing axial displacementof said capsules, and projections on said body portion extending abovethe plane of the tops of said capsules for preventing said flap fromresting on said capsules.

2. A small capsule retaining tray formedof a body portion of asubstantially rigid material having a plurality of spaced depressionstherein for holding said capsules in spaced-apart positions, spacedflanges on opposed sides of said body portion extending above and belowthe tops and bottoms respectively of said capsules held in said tray, aflap resting on and between said flanges for preventing axialdisplacement of said capsules, and projections struck upwardly from thematerial of said body portion intermediate said spaced depressions andextending above the plane of the tops of said capsules forpreventingsaid flap from resting on said capsules.

ROY S; SANFORD.

